以弗吉尼亚级潜艇为背景，总统乔·拜登周一，与总理们一起澳大利亚和联合王国概述了向澳大利亚交付最先进的核动力潜艇的多阶段计划，作为所谓的奥库斯伙伴关系的一部分帮助抗衡中国。

“奥库斯。奥库斯是个不寻常的名字，但它是个强大的实体。你知道，当我们国家18个月前第一次宣布AUKUS时，我根本不确定是否有人相信我们能够一起取得多大的进展，我们能够多快地完成它，”拜登在圣地亚哥的美国海军基地说，使用的是这三个国家的缩写。

该伙伴关系建立于2021年，目标是为澳大利亚提供核动力潜艇，与其他潜艇相比，这种潜艇可以行驶更远，在水下停留更长时间。

这一声明似乎是奥巴马政府对抗中国在印度太平洋地区影响力的最直接努力之一。在他的讲话中，总统强调了奥库斯对确保印度-太平洋保持“自由和开放”的重要性。

“我认为，我们前所未有的三边合作证明了将我们团结在一起的长期关系的力量，以及我们确保印度-太平洋保持自由和开放、繁荣和安全的共同承诺，为所有人提供机会。植根于我们共同价值观的创造未来的共同承诺。这不仅是美国与英国和澳大利亚的共同目标，也是我们在该地区的朋友的共同目标，”拜登说。

总统在讲话中强调，潜艇是核动力的，不会包含核武器，这项技术虽然复杂，但绝对安全。

“我想从一开始就让每个人都明白。马上，所以在这个关键点上没有混淆或误解。这些潜艇是动力潜艇，不是核武器潜艇，它们是核动力潜艇，不是核武器潜艇。澳大利亚是一个自豪的无核武器国家，并致力于保持这种状态。这些船上不会有任何种类的核武器。我们今天站在这里，代表美国、澳大利亚和英国的每一个人都坚定地致力于加强核不扩散制度。

拜登列出了三阶段计划的大致内容，首先是今年开始对澳大利亚人员进行核潜艇培训的行动，拜登说，这需要“多年的训练才能掌握”

“从今年开始，澳大利亚人员将在我们的学校和造船厂与美国和英国的船员一起驻扎在船上。我们还将开始增加对澳大利亚的港口访问。事实上，就在我们说话的时候，核动力潜艇“阿什维尔”号正在珀斯停靠。“在这个十年的晚些时候，我们还将在澳大利亚轮流部署美国和英国的核动力潜艇。为了帮助培养劳动力，澳大利亚需要建立和维护自己的舰队。”

“在国会的支持和批准下，从21世纪30年代初开始，美国将向澳大利亚出售三艘弗吉尼亚级潜艇，如果需要，还可能再出售两艘，这将大大提高它们的水下能力，比许多人预测的时间提前了十年。但最终目标不仅仅是在澳大利亚销售潜艇，而是共同开发新的东西。我们称之为SSN奥库斯。这种新的最先进的常规武装核动力潜艇将发挥作用，它将结合美国潜艇和英国潜艇的技术和设计与美国的技术，”他补充说。

澳大利亚总理安东尼·艾博年(Anthony Albanese)在奥巴马发表讲话后强调，美国与他们在核动力潜艇上合作并分享推进技术是多么重要。

艾博年对拜登说:“这是65年来第一次，也是历史上第二次，美国分享其核推进技术，我们对此表示感谢。”。

拜登强调，该协议也将对所有三个国家的工人产生积极影响，因为他们都在努力提高潜艇的生产和运营。

拜登说:“这种伙伴关系对我们国家所有工人的高薪工作来说将意味着很多，包括很多工会工作。”。

2023年3月13日，在圣迭戈洛马海军基地举行的奥库斯峰会期间，乔·拜登总统在与英国首相里什·苏纳克和澳大利亚总理安东尼·阿尔巴内塞(帧外)举行的新闻发布会上发表讲话。

吉姆·沃森/法新社通过盖蒂图片

英国首相里什·苏纳克称这种伙伴关系是“几代人以来最重要的多边防务伙伴关系”

“乔，安东尼，我们代表着三个并肩站在一起超过一个世纪的盟友。三个民族一起为捍卫我们共同的价值观而流血，三个民主国家再次走到一起，以实现维护现在和未来几代人的自由、和平与安全的更高目标，”Sunak在闭幕词中说。

Biden, UK and Australian prime ministers tout deal on nuclear-powered subs

With a Virginia-class submarine as his backdrop, PresidentJoe Bidenon Monday, along with the prime ministers ofAustraliaand theUnited Kingdom, outlined a multi-phase plan to deliver state-of-the-art, nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, as part of the what's called the AUKUS partnership tohelp counter China.

"AUKUS. It’s an unusual name, AUKUS, but it's a powerful entity. You know, when our country's first announced AUKUS 18 months ago, I'm not at all sure that anyone believed that how much progress we'd be able to make together and how quickly we’d accomplish it," Biden said at a U.S. Navy base in San Diego, using the acronym for the three countries combined.

The partnership was established in 2021 with the goal of providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, which can travel farther and stay under water for longer than other subs.

The announcement appears to be one the administration's most direct efforts to counter China's influence in the Indo-Pacific. In his remarks, the president underscored the importance of AUKUS to ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains "free and open."

"Our unprecedented trilateral cooperation, I believe, is testament to the strength of the long-standing ties that united us and to our shared commitment of ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains free and open, prosperous and secure, defined by opportunity for all. A shared commitment to create a future rooted in our common values. That's the objective the United States shares not only with the UK and Australia, it's shared by our friends in the region," Biden said.

The president stressed throughout his remarks that the subs are nuclear-powered, and will not contain nuclear weapons, and that the technology, while complicated, is completely safe.

"I want to be clear to everyone from the outset. Right off the bat, so there's no confusion or misunderstanding on this critical point. These subs are powered, not nuclear-armed subs, they’re nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed. Australia's a proud non-nuclear weapon state and is committed to stay that way. These boats will not have any nuclear weapons of any kind on them. Each of us standing here today, representing the United States, Australia and Great Britain is deeply committed to strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime," Biden said.

Biden laid out the broad strokes of the three-phases plan, starting with the actions getting underway this year to begin to train Australian personnel on the nuclear subs, which Biden said requires "years of training to master."

"Beginning this year, Australian personnel will embed with U.S. and U.K. crews on boats and a basis in our schools and our shipyards. We’ll also begin to increase our port visits to Australia. In fact, as we speak, the nuclear-powered sub, USS Asheville, is making a port call in Perth as we speak," he said. "And later this decade, we'll also be establishing a rotational presence of U.S. and U.K. nuclear-powered subs in Australia. to help develop the workforce Australia is gonna need to build and maintain its fleet."

"And with the support and approval of Congress, beginning in the early 2030s, the United States will sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia with the potential to sell up to two more if needed, jumpstarting their undersea capability and decade earlier than many predicted. But the ultimate goal isn't just selling subs in Australia, it’s developing something new together. We're calling it the SSN AUKUS. This new state-of-the-art, conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine that will work, that will combine U.S. submarine -- U.K. submarine technology and design with American technology," he added.

In his remarks following the president, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese underscored just how significant it is the U.S. is partnering with them on nuclear-powered subs, and sharing the propulsion technology.

"This is the first time in 65 years and only the second time in history that the United States has shared its nuclear propulsion technology, and we thank you for it," Albanese said to Biden.

Biden highlighted the agreement would also be positive for workers in all three countries, as they each worked to ramp up production and operation of the subs.

"This partnership is going to mean an awful lot for good paying jobs for all workers in our countries, including a lot of union jobs," Biden said.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the partnership "the most significant multilateral defense partnership in generations."

"Joe, Anthony, we represent three allies who have stood shoulder to shoulder together for more than a century. Three peoples who have shed blood together in defense of our shared values and three democracies that are coming together again, to fulfill that higher purpose of maintaining freedom, peace and security now and for generations to come," Sunak said, in his closing remarks.